Beck novel depicts America sliding into civil war

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck has indicated that his novel, due out in June, will portray America in the throes of civil war. In a recent appearance before about 8,000 supporters in Orlando, Fla., Beck described the book as "a story of America at a time much like today where the people are confused and they're being lied to," according to Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News, who attended Beck’s American Revival event.

Bunch reported that Beck told the gathering the story depicts the rise of a citizen’s organization called the Founders Keepers, “a group of people that just won’t give up.” What follows, Beck said, is “a battle and a civil war, and life is upside-down planetwide."

On its Amazon page, the book is titled “The Overton Window.” Beck offered insight into his inspiration for the title on a Fox appearance during which he mentioned the book by a slightly different name: “We Are Americans: The Overton Window.” The term Overton Window refers to a theory developed by Joe Overton, a former vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, in which political ideas move in and out of a window of public acceptability.

The storyline of the novel has prompted some in the blogosphere to worry that Beck is inciting civil insurrection. As he told the crowd in Orlando, "If we don't face the truth right now, we'll be dead in five years -- this country can't survive." He also advised his listeners to stockpile food, saying: "I am incredibly prepared."

Glen Beck apologists would be well served to study the role of radio commentators in the genocide in Rwanda. Several of them were tried and convicted of war crimes for inciting violence using language very similar to what Glen Beck uses today.

Beck: pseudo-intellectual dross of the worst sort. I honestly feel bad for the people who think the man has anything relevant or significant to say. They are being conned by a 2nd rate huckster and charlatan. Beck is laughing all the way to the bank errr ...his hole in the ground where he buries his gold.

I don't think so. I think that if you are this paranoid, this out of control, now, you'll be cowering on a corner pooping in your pants when the battle you're carrying on about starts and people really are after your stupid a55.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

“Seven deadly sins”

These six things doth the Lord hate; yea seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

VIOLENCE OR OTHER ILLEGAL ACTIVITY
This is response to the concerns about talk show hosts and other persons who broadcast statements that could incite violence or other illegal activity.

The Federal Communications Commission is responsible for the licensing and regulation of radio and television broadcast stations and for assuring that they comply with Commission rules and statutory requirements. Generally speaking, however, the Commission is prohibited from involving itself in the content of specific programs or otherwise engaging in activities that might be regarded as program censorship. Consequently, the Commission cannot direct broadcasters to refrain from presenting this kind of program material.

With respect to broadcasts inciting violation of law, the First Amendment permits free speech to be curtailed when it is directed toward inciting or producing dangerous activity and is likely to produce such action. Other than under these circumstances, mere advocacy of the use of force or of law violation is protected by the Constitution.

Even where the so-called "clear and present danger" test is met, the Commission believes that any review leading to a curtailment of speech should be performed by the appropriate criminal law enforcement authorities. Accordingly, it is up to federal, state, or local criminal law enforcement agencies to analyze the content and context of the speech and to determine whether there is a clear and present danger that it will result in imminent lawless action.

Glenn Beck works for the right "news agency" wasn't Fox the one who promoted the "tea party" with all that free advertsing and then sent their show hosts to headline the events? Why shouldn't they "lead" the civil war?

One can't help but notice that folks on the Left -- who generally bend over backwards to celebrate tolerance and dissent and diversity -- adopt a much less liberal stance, when their own sacred cows are under attack. Here's a question: have any of you folks who think that legal action needs to be taken against a novelist, Mr. Beck, voiced your concerns about the President's friendship with admitted terrorists like Mr. Ayers and Ms. Dohrn?? In so far as I know, Mr.beck has never bombed anything.....

Look. Glenn Beck is simply the latest incarnation of these sorts of fabulists who appear in American history from time to time who think they have discovered some new frightening truth.

You do not have to be schooled in Quantum Mechanics to figure out just what the outcome of a Civil War in an America that has sufficient weapons of mass destruction to destroy the world a hundred times over. Beck--like so many undereducated dweebs who are "heavy" into this sort of fantasy and conspiracy drivel--are thinking Civil War or civil insurrection in retro terms gullibly envisioning a small band of "heroes" who set about to remake America into the silly, romantic, passe' agrarian paradise that they imagine existed at the tome of the Founding Fathers.

In reality, such an idiotic notion would not even qualify as the plot line for a James Cameron film. Can anyone of you out there imagine what is going to happen when this bedraggled little band of "patriots" shows up in Washington and attempts to storm the White House and the Capitol building. Or for that matter, if they attempt to foment any sort of insurrection envisioning their tiny, arrogant, ignorant little band of "Founders Keepers" storming any one of our State Capitols? What do they think? That the National Guard, Secret Service, FBI, CIA, NSC, and their numberless counterparts in State agencies who monitor and track such silliness, and leaving out the entire Military apparatus of the federal government, are simply going to throw down their arms and turn the most lethal, destructive military force ever assembled in history and a evolved, political democracy based on consent of the governed to a smelly, puerile, ignorant band of little boys playacting at revolution?

Glenn Beck can wrote all of the books he want and he can say pretty much anything he wants on his pathetic, silly, partisan little TV show well protected by the government he wants to bring down. But, as a serious polemic on a serious poltical movement out there? Ridiculous!

Amphetamines (Adderall) such as Glenn Beck uses ("for ADHD") tend to inculcate both a sort of fascism in the user and a slavish devotion in followers drawn to the sort of emotional intensity the user exhibits. It tends to eventually unbalance the user in some ways.

Arlingtonresident, the movie depicting Bush's assassination was relegated to the same trash bin that Beck's book will be. Both pieces of trash are examples of the lowest form of practice of freedom of expression. I suggest that you bring up the Bush movie as an attempt to find some moral equivalence. Well that is all fine and well. But just remember how truly unimportant and irrelevant the Bush movie turned out to be and you get the general idea of just where Beck's silly, puerile novel is headed.

Is it just me or has there been a general reluc5ance to take on these morons who insist that they are in sync with our Founding Fathers. I personally think that most of our Founders were men schooled in the era of the Great Enlightenment and would certainly not take favorably any sort of comparison with this motley assortment of morons and oddballs. Glenn Beck taking on the trappings of an early American revolutionary? Utterly preposterous.

"Glen Beck apologists would be well served to study the role of radio commentators in the genocide in Rwanda. Several of them were tried and convicted of war crimes for inciting violence using language very similar to what Glen Beck uses today."

I know! It's enough to make a person want to move to Venezuela! Too bad we have that pesky Bill of Rights, eh, comrade?

Beck's book can't be any bigger of a fabrication than Obama's ridiculous mental meanderings of a sick mind. In an attempt to locate the truth about his childhood - Obama resorted to complete false memories - because his parents were both repulsive extremists who rejected their own child. He has never recovered.

People need to calm down. No matter how bad things have become in Washington, and I deplore the situation, civil strife is far, far worse.

Furthermore, even if there comes a time to have recourse to armed force, such a time is still far off and the advocates of violence have not even given the machinery of the Republic time to work: the bill is still up for judicial review and could be overturned legally at some point in the future.

Things are bad but it is not time to despair of the Republic. We can still wrest our government back from the two vile gangs of criminal vermin that have seized it if enough of us wake up and smell the rot!

Extremism, racism and despair will not help the situation so please knock it off.

I don't know why the media persist in giving this ridiculous little man all of this publicity. All one has to do is watch his childish antics with his puerile ideas written on his his dumb little classroom blackboard to figure out that he has no connection to reality.

Look. We are familiar with megalomania. Both Beck and Limbaugh suffer from this mental defect. They seem to have no sense of reality about them. They actually imagine that the miniscule audiences that attend them represents a majority of the American people. The American voters can be pretty dumb but I doubt that even the dumbest among them buy into Beck's ludicrous imaginings.

From above: "a story of America at a time much like today where the people are confused and they're being lied to". Really? Are they lied to by fear-mongering commentators like yourself? Cause that's pretty much who is doing most of the lying in this America. And people eat it up because they only want information that won't challenge their assumptions.

Beck says he is "incredibly prepared". Look. The guys a Mormon. All Mormons are commanded to have a two year supply of food and other supplies on hand in case of some undefined disaster. Mormons are generally fundamentalist in their beliefs even though the General Authorities have moderated the more extreme expressions of that fundamentalism over the years. And a great many Mormons--particularly democrats--resent Beck's more negative influence among Mormons.

Like most right wing ideologues. Beck's influence is negative, not positive. He seems to be excessive in his distaste for liberal or progressive ideals, much of which has made this country the advance, progressive nation that it is and a moral beacon to the world.

People like Beck and Limbaugh want to darken that beacon of light and bring back an old, obsolete America where the races and classes were more segregated and where stigmas--both moral and racist--were more prevalent that they are today.

Doom and gloom sells well. Especially to the paranoid and easily deluded. Ask Jim Jones. Oh wait. There was that koolaid incident...

Let's just hope that Barnes and Noble puts the book in the right category - science fiction, not historical fiction. If I read the book at all, I'll get my copy from the "Trade In" box at my local post office.

"One can't help but notice that folks on the Left -- who generally bend over backwards to celebrate tolerance and dissent and diversity -- adopt a much less liberal stance, when their own sacred cows are under attack."

You are correct, Marks1153, the United States is one of my "sacred cows." I love and revere it, and I hope for it to continue to approach its ideals. Because of that, I am appalled by Glenn Beck's repeated attempts to destroy everything the United States stands for.

A lot of people thought Ron Paul was crazy with all his talk of economic collapse, until it happened. Liberals might not want to hear Beck's message, but that doesn't mean there isn't any truth in it.

And calling people you disagree with names does nothing to support your own arguments, and it's getting very boring. Can you refute Mr. Beck with only your own facts? Hmm, it suddenly became very quiet.

Back in REALITY, the 'normal' people outnumber the scum-baggers by more than 20-to-1 and control the Army, Navy, Air Force, etc with the most modern military in the world. They also control the means of production, all air travel, all money and pretty much EVERYTHING else.

In any pitched battle, my money is on the ones backed by the U.S. military.

So, let Beck 'bring it on' and silence these idiots once and for all - by force if need be.

The founding fathers were theistic rational empiricists, yet in the mind of Glenn Beck (who doesn't even have an undergrad degree) they are Capitalistic Warriors for Christ. (I guess he'll be in charge of Texas' school curriculum pretty soon.)

It's this historical revisionism combined with a fundamental lack of understanding and contextualizing other historical events and political ideologies (e.g, how can one be a NAZI and a Communist, when Hitler KILLED Communists) on Beck's part that I have a real problem with. Beyond that he's a charlatan. The fact that his audience is in the multiple millions says more about America than Beck.

The truth is, though, that politician's ARE lying to you, yet they are REPUBLICANS, but again...America!

I too wish people would wake up, but the reality they'd wake up to is more Armistead Maupin than Hoaratio Alger.
yet they'd like to BELIEVE otherwise.

“Liberals might not want to hear Beck’s message, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any truth in it.”
-------------------------------------------
What message would that be? That the President hates white people? That families of 9/11 victims should “shut up”? That the only Katrina victims seen on TV are “scumbags”? That efforts to control and reverse global warming are akin to the Nazi’s efforts to exterminate Jews? That stem cell research is akin to Eugenics? That the hammer and sickle is the artwork of Mussolini? That oligarchy is spelled “O-L-I-G-A-R-H-Y”?

Never mind that he has the intellect of an ameba. The problem with Beck, and the reason why he will never amount to anything other than a clown, is that you cannot build consensus on radical (and often nonsensical) sound bites and platitudes. If the right wants to moderate the current trajectory of this country, they would be well served by letting the grownups speak (e.g., Bob Riley (R-AL), David Frum, James Baker, etc.).

fbeseler (April 5, 2010 1:32 PM) said it most succinctly.
The fact that Glenn Beck spends his "spare" time penning dribble to fit his paranoid delusions is revealing.
That any reputable publishing house would print the dribble is also revealing, in that their bottom line in this time of recession trumps their common sense.
Doubtless Beck will be thrilled if, after publication, one of these militias plotting insurrection is raided and his books are found in their possession, pages well-thumbed with greasy spots from french fries with a little gunpowder mixed therein.
He can then portray himself as the latter-day Nat Turner and fulfill his richest dreams.
What his followers don't consider (neither does FOX) is that about 98 percent of the country's mental cases are not in custody, but are out roaming the world, rejecting any medical control and some have clever, attractive, complex, seemingly rational delusions they spew regularly.
Glenn Beck is a good example.
Just what America needs in this time of insecurity.
Oh, well.
I'm glad the Secret Service, FBI, NSA, etc., are on high alert now.

And you can blame all the right-wingers working to destroy this country the last 40 years.

Beck, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Savage, Hannity, Colter, Krauthammer, McConnell, 43, Cheney, Bachman, Steele... We could list thousands of right-wing democracy haters. The Republican Party has been obstructing or actively attacking this country from the inside for 140 years.

I've been saying it for a while; it's the right-wingers who have been clamoring for a civil war all along. They're the ones who actually hate this country. And like the author of the Turner Diaries, Beck has a fantasy of "purifying" the US so that it's more to his liking.

If hope they go ahead and try. They'll meet the same fate as the christian militia yahoos who got rounded up last week.

From my last post:
"I'm glad the Secret Service, FBI, NSA, etc., are on high alert now."
==
Too bad my tax dollahs have to be wasted on such tripe, when they could be going toward rescuing our country and retiring our growing national debt.
I meant to add that thought.

This is kind of like the Christians with their "left behind" novels. It's a self-serving psychopathic fantasy that you belong to some elite group which gets to inflict criminal violence on the evil enemy. We've already got nut job 'militias' arming themselves and planning to attack the evil government. I wonder, if Republicans did somehow manage to get themselves back in power, would all of this stop? Or would they turn on their masters?

I was looking for the article on Obama's getting tough on struggling schools. The Beck article popped up instead. (Washington Posts's bad)

I did not read much of the article and was only tempted to watch the clip of Mr. Beck for a nano second. I caught myself! I do believe that one should keep your friends close but adversaries closer. With this character, I have to defy that maxim.

Mr. Beck is a tragedy waiting to happen. He is constantly on the verge of saying something that will ruin his career. The tight rope he walks is evident with the many gaffs already a part of his history. His propaganda message to those who love him are a serious challenge to the survival of our system. The slight attention I gave to the article says he agrees with me.

I'm sure the Beck cellar is stacked with bullets, beer and bags of food stuffs for his forecast of civil strife.

I have more faith in the citizenry of America that realize we live in a country where we have a right to free speech and love my country. I will not prepare to defend myself from my fellow Americans who disagree with me. I would rather be in a march to civilly disagree peacefully.

Mr. Beck will consume himself eventually. His brand of hysteria is a fire that burns at a high temperature. It is an easy lift to get citizens to gravitate to his inflammatory rhetoric. The fuel he uses is consumed at a high rate of mpg (Masticated Propaganda Garbage). He does a disservice to the many followers that listen to his bunk.

There is no guarantee our system will survive much longer. I'm going to bet on the faith Americans have in themselves rather than those among us who are divisive.

Beck is at the head of his class. His star is consuming itself. He is not enlightening, but dangerous to our country. History is replete with the McCarthy's who end up in the proverbial black hole of our debates.

Keep spouting Mr. Beck. Your digging a hole that will be remembered. Children will read about you in history books. Store your food. You'll need it.

Hour after hour on the air, Glenn Beck encourages listeners to read books, read the bills passed by Congress, and to learn and make their own decisions. He deplores violence in his statements, again and again. He never permits or stands for racism in any way. He repeatedly speaks about against such things.

The only use of racism in the Tea Party movement was when 2 SEIU thugs beat up a black Tea Party member. This is on tape for you all to watch. Not once has anyone ever showed video or played audio of any Tea Party member or Glenn Beck calling for violence or making racist statements.

Maybe you should all take a listen to what the man has to say before you blindly accept the lies told to you by those out to defeat knowledge and control how you vote.

Mr. Beck will consume himself eventually. His brand of hysteria is a fire that burns at a high temperature. It is an easy lift to get citizens to gravitate to his inflammatory rhetoric. The fuel he uses is consumed at a high rate of mpg (Masticated Propaganda Garbage). He does a disservice to the many followers that listen to his bunk.

Beck is at the head of his class. His star is consuming itself. He is not enlightening, but dangerous to our country. History is replete with the McCarthy's who end up in the proverbial black hole of our debates.

Posted by: rebennett2
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That may be true. I found it funny that the first time I saw Beck on CNN several years ago at the 8 pm slot and found him to be interesting but boring so no longer watch him. Lo behold he leaves CNN to be at Fox News at the 5 pm slot. At that time slot he has outnumbered Limbaugh and Hannity and possibly O'Reilly. To do that he has to top himself over the others by using inflammatory statements equivalent to shouting in a large convention venue.

Like you say, his statement borders on inflammatory which basically means throwing gasoline on a fire to make it burn quicker. In the end his fire will burn out. The only way that can happen is having a person who can go toe to toe with him and the others.

Wait a second... Exactly which side of _the_ Civil War would Beck be on in this metaphor he's weaving?

He talks about civil war and alludes to a time when people were confused and being lied to. Who was doing the lying back then? The big, bad federal government? Or the rich slave holders duping the rebs?

Hour after hour on the air, Glenn Beck encourages listeners to read books, read the bills passed by Congress.

Posted by: thom4
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One thing about bills passed by Congress is that the bills are replete with legalese and reference to laws and many think is gobble kock to even to understand it and resort to simple statements put out by commentators and they rely on without even bothering to look at it.

It amounts to a full time job without pay to go through these legislations and you have deal with politicians and commentators resort to sound bites that may not even be true to begin with. Then you have to deal with misinformation put out by these same set of people which you have to decipher it to refute it.

The media does a bad job at times and has the tendency to get people's attention with headlines without even bothering to go into details and it has happened so many times.

I have seen threads from readers who states that "everything I need to know I get from Beck, Rush, etc."

Hour after hour on the air, Glenn Beck encourages listeners to read books, read the bills passed by Congress.

Posted by: thom4
-----------
One thing about bills passed by Congress is that the bills are replete with legalese and reference to laws and many think is gobble kock to even to understand it and resort to simple statements put out by commentators and they rely on without even bothering to look at it.

It amounts to a full time job without pay to go through these legislations and you have deal with politicians and commentators resort to sound bites that may not even be true to begin with. Then you have to deal with misinformation put out by these same set of people which you have to decipher it to refute it.

The media does a bad job at times and has the tendency to get people's attention with headlines without even bothering to go into details and it has happened so many times.

I have seen threads from readers who states that "everything I need to know I get from Beck, Rush, etc."

For those defending Mr. Beck, consider the comment of his quoted in the article that begins this comment string. Beck says: "If we don't face the truth right now, we'll be dead in five years -- this country can't survive."

Now that is not a call for violence, but it is clearly an attempt to spread panic. "We'll all be dead in five years." Really? What's going to happen? Who or what is going to kill all of us? Is it the political left in this country that is about to turn violent? Will the government begin to do away with millions of its citizens?

And what will those who take Beck seriously do in response to such a warning? Is stockpiling food enough? Does he think we are going to die of starvation? Should they also stockpile guns and maybe begin to use them now? It's a very sinister and vague message, and it is difficult to see how it is grounded in any reality. That is what is so distrubing about Beck. He sells paranoia and conspiracy. He not only thinks outside the box, he thinks outside the bounds of reason. He imagines the worst about all those who disagree with him. There are no political disagreements in Beck's view, only existential disagreements. The left and right can't breath each other's air. What did we do to deserve him? We must have been very naughty.

Just like Most Dictators, he's Good At Having or Inciting Others to Do the Dirty Work, while he sits back and says, I Never said I wanted thsi Nation in a Civil War, If I did, I meant [Metaphorically-Symbolically] Not [Literally]

This Man is a Low Life, Simple and Plain.

Those that Follow this Maniac should Keep in Mind, Glenn Beck, is Not going to Fight For this Country, He wants these Low Life forms to Fight for his Right to be [Wealthy & Rich] Beck wants these Nuts to Hurt Someone to Preserve [His Fortunes] Most of the People Following Beck are Low Wage Earners, Living on Fixed Incomes are on the Dole themselves or Far Worse..

Beck's "army" has been buying up weapons and stockpiling millions of rounds of ammunition since the election to kill their fellow Americans.
Beck's network and its parent company, News Corp, are being financed by Saudi Arabia and China, whose goal is an old one: divide and conquer.

Glenn Beck is a modern day Paul Revere. The Progressives have gone over the cliff, politically, and are hoping that no-one has noticed what they've done, because they've tied our future to themselves before they jumped.

The truth is hard to argue with. Stop insulting the intelligence of readers and listeners. Let people in America listen to what they want and decide for themselves. Violent people make their own choices, and must face the consequences of their actions. However, don't blame their violence on a conservative political commentator. Blame it on them!

I find it interesting that no one refutes the facts of what Beck says. They call him names and say he is crazy but never actually attempt to fight facts with facts.

I wonder does that make them ignorant as to what Beck says or just ignorant in general or perhaps Beck is right and they are simply complicit in destroying the greatest nation on earth.

I never have understood why lefty wingnuts who have a problem with this country dont simply exercise their right to buy a one way ticket to anywhere in the world. They could save their CO2 producing breath and we could reduce the deficit when we would'nt need welfare anymore.

It appears to me that a lot of people do not listen to Becks show and just comment. If you listen he says at least once in each program that he is not advocating violence. Also, how can you comment on a book that is not out? Do you have a deal with the publisher to read it before it comes out.

To all of you brainwashed liberals out there: stop supporting leaders who subvert the Constitution and the American way of life. If you don't, what do you expect? The American people won't stand for treason.

As I read these comments about Glen Beck nobody mentions the videos backing up his accusations for instance of Marxist Obama appointees in "their words" and Obama's past statements to the contrary of what he is doing now, instead he is called a liar by many here who obviously don't watch his show. I don't agree with everything he says but, I do have my own concerns that our county's Debt and Deficit situation is unsustainable and as Beck says it's not just Obama's spending that got us here but the massive increase in spending and entitlements while we have no plan to deal with with unfunded entitlements from before this administration is what is alarming.

It is sad that the best case scenario is likely massive inflation along with extreme taxation to try to deal with the fiscal situation we are in. The other scenario is a collapse of our financial system and if that happens you probably do want to be prepared as Beck has said. The Dems and Republicans have been kicking this thing down the road like there is no consequence, sorry to inform you Gang it will come to a head at some point in time, Glen Beck is just throwing some of these things out there that are obvious if one looks at all and suggests preparedness, how horrible that is. Give me a break.

It appears to me that a lot of people do not listen to Becks show and just comment. If you listen he says at least once in each program that he is not advocating violence.

Well, that says it all; he says, at least once in his show that he is not inciting violence. It must be true.
Well, he is inciting something, and that inciting is making him wealthy and famous.
I try to watch his show, but the looniness drives me away.